Novak Djokovic's Struggle: Dealing With The COVID-19 Pandemic Alone In The Way He Believes To Be

Novak Djokovic vented his joy after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the 2011 Wimbledon semifinals which brought him to world number one. (Photo: Wikipedia)

JAKARTA - Novak Djokovic's rejection of the COVID-19 vaccine is a relentless struggle alone. His staunch refusal to be vaccinated came at a heavy price, with his deportation from Australia costing the Serbian tennis player a missed opportunity to compete at the 2022 Australian Open Grand Slam.

Djokovic's expulsion from Australia became big news everywhere. Understandably, he is the world's number one tennis player. And for his country, Serbia, Djokovic is like a god. He was greatly admired there.

Not coming from a wealthy family, the man who was born in Belgrade on May 22, 1987 is fighting extraordinarily hard to get a position as a top athlete at this time. His parents had to sell property and borrow to fund the ambitions of the eldest of three children.

Her first coach, Jelena Gencic, who took care of Djokovic when she started practicing tennis at the age of 4, said: "She is the most talented player I have ever seen, after Monica Seles."

Novak Djokovic with his wife he has been dating since high school, Jelena. (Photo: Instagram/@jelenadjokovicndf)

Djokovic's professional career began in 2003 with a series of ATP Tour tournaments. At that time, Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal were already famous, and dominated the world's men's tennis competition. The 2005 Australian Open was Djokovic's first chance to appear in a grand slam tournament. His work was stopped in the first round, after being defeated by Russian tennis player, Marat Safin.

Djokovic's first ATP title was won in the 2006 Dutch Open tournament. His achievements continued to advance, until he finally won his first grand slam title. Djokovic won the grand slam title at the 2008 Australian Open, after beating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France in four sets. It is the first time that Federer or Nadal has not won a grand slam title since the 2005 Australian Open.

Contact with COVID-19

Djokovic was first infected with COVID-19 in June 2020. It was like he made an antitheory, by holding a fun tournament called Adria Tour in Belgrade, his hometown at a time when the world was gripped by the COVID-19 pandemic on . Not only tennis tournaments, he also held a party at a nightclub which was suspected as the cause of his exposure.

There is no distance limit in the tournament. Wearing a mask is not mandatory. Free players mingle freely. Hugging, shaking hands, playing soccer, playing basketball, even dancing limbo at a party.

The tennis tour continued to Zadar, Croatia. There is no COVID-19 protocol implemented there, everything is free as if the atmosphere is normal, there is no pandemic. Until finally Grigor Dimitrov, Bulgaria's top tennis player who took part, complained that he was not feeling well.

Taking selfies with fellow tennis players on the Adria Tour 2020 that took the world by storm. (Photo: firstsportz.com)

No doubt the virus was spreading. Dimitrov dragged Djokovic and his wife Jelena exposed. There are also Borna Coric and Viktor Troicki, two Croatian players and several others involved in the Adria Tour exhibition tournament.

"I'm very sorry that the tournament we won turned out to be a loss," Djokovic said on his Twitter account at the time.

Even so, Djokovic denied that he broke the rules. Belgrade authorities do not require the implementation of health protocols, which should be required during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Adria Tour, which was supposed to continue to Bosnia Herzegovina, was finally stopped due to the spread of COVID-19.

No doubt, several world players criticized Djokovic's decision to hold the Adria Tour. His actions not only endanger public health, but also carry the wrong message to the world.

“Horror show. In a situation like this even though you live in the Arctic, you shouldn't be traveling and throwing a party and then posting it on Instagram," said Bruno Soares, the Brazilian tennis player in an interview with GloboEsporte.

Believe in Natural Healing

Djokovic's stance on the COVID-19 pandemic looks ambiguous. On the one hand he is anti, on the other hand he advises others to adhere to health protocols. In April 2020 he loudly said it would be better not to be vaccinated. It's like he's doing an experiment to find out his body's resistance to the new virus.

Djokovic believes more in the efficacy of water molecules to ward off the COVID-19 virus than vaccination. And he expressed that opinion openly in his broadcast. As a Serbian Orthodox Christian, Djokovic is known to be a fanatic. The Serbian Orthodox Church awarded him the title of Order of Santo Sava I, which is the church's highest honor for Djokovic's social work to the monasteries in Kosovo and his charity work in Serbia.

After all, all these actions were not able to prevent Djokovic from COVID-19. On December 17, 2021, he was exposed again after his PCR test results came back positive. But once again, this condition does not necessarily make him willing to be vaccinated. Djokovic even refused to undergo isolation, even though his PCR test results were positive.

Novak Djokovic dances in limbo at a party held on the sidelines of the Adria Tour 2020. (Photo: Instagram/@majamalnar)

Until finally the peak of Djokovic's conflict with COVID-19 occurred in Mebourne ahead of the 2022 Australian Open. His visa was refused by the Australian authorities, even though he had received special permission from the committee. The Serbian hero was treated with disrespect by being thrown into immigration detention, to be subsequently deported.

"That's the price I have to pay. I'd rather lose my chance to win a grand slam than get vaccinated. Decision-making principles for my body are more important than any title," Djokovic said in an interview with the BBC, Tuesday 15 February 2022.

Novak Djokovic in a car during his deportation from Australia in January 2022. (Photo: BBC)

Djokovic insisted he had not violated any Australian immigration rules. He also denied that he had lied in filling out the visa declaration. In essence, Djokovic's visa to enter Australia is actually not a problem.

“I have never campaigned against vaccines, or influenced people to refuse vaccines. But I value the freedom to choose what objects can be put into one's body. I really understand how the world is struggling to contain this virus, and I really hope this ends soon. What the public needs to know about the reason for my expulsion from Australia is that the Immigration Minister used his discretion to cancel my visa because according to his perception I was carrying out some kind of anti-vaccine campaign in Australia. I firmly reject that perception," said Djokovic again.

Such is the struggle of Novak Djokovic, alone to face the COVID-19 pandemic with all the risks he is ready to bear.